THE OLD PHARMACY - BRUTON
THE OLD PHARMACY
The Old Pharmacy is a wine bar, bistro and grocery store housed in a 500 year old building that was previously a Pharmacy. A daily changing blackboard menu offers a selection of small dishes to share using homegrown ingredients from their farm and the tiny adjacent shop sells grocery items to take away as well as Roundhill coffee, organic wines and local cider.
We recently spent a gorgeous evening in this unassuming and utterly charming little bistro in Bruton Somerset. I had come across it via Instagram as Bruton is an eternally popular place on social media and rightly so as it offers up so many aesthetically pleasing and in my opinion often very good quality services and products, created and curated by people who have an eye and a taste for quality.
This small restaurant sits alongside the B&B that we stayed in, Number 1 Bruton and is the ‘little sister’ to the very impressive and adored OSIP Michelin star restaurant. The bistro is of course a fundamentally different offering to OSIP and was someone who has eaten in both, I would rate neither one above the other. It would be foolish to do so, as they offer such different things. So really it is simply a case of what mood you are in or what type of cuisine and experience you favour.
I have covered OSIP in one of my other articles and this one is all about the Old Pharmacy so here we go..
The restaurant is a combination of casual in style and classic elegance. French bistro styled table adornment, white table cloths (paper, which is so often the case in classic French bistros and also Italian restaurants too), candle lit to add to the atmosphere and crisp white napkins. The cutlery simple and silver and the glasses unpretentious but also elegant.
The menu was clearly seasonal and locally sourced which suited us well and the pasta freshly made. I believe that whatever their menu at the time, I would be happy but by chance some of my absolute favourite flavours and dishes were making an appearance on this occasion. Pork Schnitzel, for me is a no brainer. Seasonal asparagus lathered in freshly grated parmesan and of course a classic Panna Cotta with a sweet rhubard & vanilla compote (not too sweet).
The wine list was interesting and well balanced, in my opinion. The sommelier offered some options and I was very pleased with the full bodied red Sardinian wine that was recommended.
We joked that we wanted to just take one of everything on the menu, this joke soon became a reality and between the 4 of us, we shared all the plates on the menu, bar the fresh anchovies (I would have loved them too but it was vetoed by one of the party.)
The dishes were absolutely delicious and we could very happily have done the whole meal all over again. But alas, babysitter beckoned and our delightful bed in the next door Number 1 Bruton was calling us.
We had a really wonderful evening in this charming bistro on the high street in Bruton. If you find yourself in the area, OSIP is very special but ask yourself what it is you are looking for for the night as if it is something a little more casual, then this is your place. It was perfect.
https://www.oldpharmacybruton.com
closed mondays
